After 8 months of unemployment, Prince Charming was offered a job this week! The good news is it is in the next town (we don't have to move!) doing something he's been wanting to do for years. The not so good news is it is considerably less money than he is used to (although that could change), and he doesn't start until October 19, so it will be more than a month before he gets his first paycheck. Oh, and no benefits. He will be the first American employee in a German company.
Okay, so. . . we are all relieved he finally has a job! But today was a really crazy day!!!
This morning he had Job Seekers (a support group) starting at around 7:00. Then he was going to go over to where his job is going to be, and officially accept the job offer. He also told our pastor that he would help a new family in our church. They have two young boys with autism, and they are here for 6 months to do a program called Brain Balance. The husband travels with his job, so she is alone with the boys, and she needed someone to watch them while she went to an IEP meeting. She didn't know what time the meeting would be, as they told her they would call her in the morning and tell her. Prince Charming told the pastor that as long as it was after 11:00, he and one of our teen daughters would go watch them.
I took Space Cadet to her volunteer job this morning, along with my daughter Czarina, 15, to do school work while Space Cadet worked. Czarina still needs a LOT of help with her schoolwork, and supervision to make sure she is actually working. The only way I can be sure she is making good use of her time is to watch her.
I got home around 11:30 to a phone message from the pastor to Prince Charming. The IEP meeting was at 12:30, quite a bit away, and he needed to know if Prince Charming could watch the boys, which he had already committed to doing. The problem was, he had his CELL PHONE TURNED OFF, and did not know what time he was needed. I left a couple of messages and a text message.
In the meantime, my son, the first semester online college student, told me he'd been locked out of his college account for non-payment of tuition. I had been asking him to please find out how much we owed after his scholarship was applied, as I do not have access to that information, and how I could go about paying it. Well, he kept putting it off, and passed the payment deadline. He has a test he has to take by Monday, I have to proctor it (meaning I have to be in the room while he takes it), and I am gone all day on Mondays. It was Friday, and I knew we had to take care of this before the office closed for the weekend.
So, I am trying to get in touch with Prince Charming, feeling bad for this poor woman with these two autistic boys who DOESN'T KNOW if her babysitter is going to show up, feeling bad for the pastor who is caught in the middle, and can't watch the boys himself because of another obligation, thinking maybe I should do it, but I really HAVE to take care of this tuition thing, and Czarina is behind on her schoolwork (we belong to a co-op and she has deadlines), and I'm frustrated with Prince Charming because he is always committing to things without finding out if he can actually DO them. He wants to help everyone, which is great, except first he needs to see if he is really available.
Prince Charming shows up at 11:50. . . the IEP is for 12:30, and she lives 30 minutes away from us, and I don't know how far from the school. Prince Charming calls the pastor, then calls her to get directions. He tells her he and at least one of his daughters will be there to watch the boys.
Hoodie Girl, 14, is the only daughter who wants to help -- she told him last night she would help. She is trying to accumulate 100 volunteer hours this year for a presidential volunteer award. However, since Hoodie Girl was not told WHEN the babysitting would occur, she was taking a shower. Prince Charming didn't have time to wait for her. Czarina has no interest in watching these two wild young'ins, and has too much schoolwork anyway. Space Cadet? No way, not going to happen. So Prince Charming goes off by himself.
Meanwhile, I have paid Corn Bread Muffin's tuition online, but he still is locked out of his classes. So I call the college and get put into menu option purgatory. The recorded message very slowly and distinctly takes you through 9 number options. Push the number you want and. . . the recorded message very slowly and distinctly takes you through the same 9 number options. I started pushing random numbers, and kept getting the same message. After my 3rd time of calling, I finally got. . . an answering machine! However, eventually we got the problem taken care of, and Corn Bread Muffin can continue his education.
When Hoodie Girl got out of the shower and found out Prince Charming had left her behind, she shook her head and said, "Those boys are going to eat him alive." LOL. Serves him right. . .
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A New School Year
Last night was orientation for the new year of our Home School Co-op. Here’s how it works: We meet on Mondays at a local church. After a half hour assembly together, the kids go to classes. There are 4 blocks of classes. Middle school and high school students have choices for each hour. For example during the science block high school students can take Physical Science, Biology, or Chemistry. Students do not have to take classes every block. There is a study hall for students who aren’t in a class during a specific block. The students get homework to do during the week and turn back in on the following Monday.
Parents teach what they are good at, and let someone else teach what they are not so good at. This year I am teaching History to K-2nd graders, and History and Literature to high school students. I enjoy those classes, but I am absolutely abysmal at science, so I am grateful someone else can teach that subject to my children.
This year, Hoodie Girl is taking Physical Science, English I, History/Literature, and French at the co-op. At home, she will be doing Pre-Algebra and Bible. At the co-op, Czarina is taking History/Literature and Pre-Algebra. At home we will be working on English, English, English and Bible.
Last year I taught Middle School Literature. I expected to teach that again this year, but Hoodie Girl and Czarina asked me to teach high school!
And this is one of the blessings of homeschooling. A few weeks ago, when the public schools started back up, I heard and read from parents who were sad because their child was entering middle school or high school. They were mourning the lack of time they had with their children before the kiddoes grew up and moved out. Well, my girls are starting high school, but I’m going to be right there with them. . . and they WANT me to be.
The kids are great. I loved teaching middle school the last two years. Monday was my favorite day of the week! As I got to know each student, it was easy to pick out who, if in public school, would be the class clown, who would be the boy every girl wanted to date, who would be the girl every boy wanted to date, who would be the jock, who would be the nerd, who would be special ed, etc. (The one thing I couldn’t determine was, who would be the mean girl.) In our class of around 17 students, everyone got along with everyone else. The shy students came out of their shells, knowing they were going to be accepted for who they are. The kids were always attentive and respectful during oral reports, and over the year last year I saw the students, especially the shy students, grow in confidence over the year. As a matter of fact, one young lady who started out the year HATING doing oral reports and would speed through them as fast as she could, ended up doing a great job on her last report of the year, taking her time and making eye contact with the audience. When someone was needed at the last minute for a skit at church this summer, this young lady stepped in and again did a great job.
I still have a lot to do to be ready for our first class on Monday, so I’d better get to it!
Parents teach what they are good at, and let someone else teach what they are not so good at. This year I am teaching History to K-2nd graders, and History and Literature to high school students. I enjoy those classes, but I am absolutely abysmal at science, so I am grateful someone else can teach that subject to my children.
This year, Hoodie Girl is taking Physical Science, English I, History/Literature, and French at the co-op. At home, she will be doing Pre-Algebra and Bible. At the co-op, Czarina is taking History/Literature and Pre-Algebra. At home we will be working on English, English, English and Bible.
Last year I taught Middle School Literature. I expected to teach that again this year, but Hoodie Girl and Czarina asked me to teach high school!
And this is one of the blessings of homeschooling. A few weeks ago, when the public schools started back up, I heard and read from parents who were sad because their child was entering middle school or high school. They were mourning the lack of time they had with their children before the kiddoes grew up and moved out. Well, my girls are starting high school, but I’m going to be right there with them. . . and they WANT me to be.
The kids are great. I loved teaching middle school the last two years. Monday was my favorite day of the week! As I got to know each student, it was easy to pick out who, if in public school, would be the class clown, who would be the boy every girl wanted to date, who would be the girl every boy wanted to date, who would be the jock, who would be the nerd, who would be special ed, etc. (The one thing I couldn’t determine was, who would be the mean girl.) In our class of around 17 students, everyone got along with everyone else. The shy students came out of their shells, knowing they were going to be accepted for who they are. The kids were always attentive and respectful during oral reports, and over the year last year I saw the students, especially the shy students, grow in confidence over the year. As a matter of fact, one young lady who started out the year HATING doing oral reports and would speed through them as fast as she could, ended up doing a great job on her last report of the year, taking her time and making eye contact with the audience. When someone was needed at the last minute for a skit at church this summer, this young lady stepped in and again did a great job.
I still have a lot to do to be ready for our first class on Monday, so I’d better get to it!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tightwad Fun
I have two teen age girls who love to shop for clothes. With our current financial situation, I am not buying any clothes that are not absolutely necessary. In the last month I have taken the girls to a couple of different thrift stores, where they have bought clothes with their own money. Well, I guess it’s more accurate to say they bought clothes with Hoodie Girl’s money. Czarina pays her back by doing some of Hoodie Girl’s chores, illustrating Proverbs 22:7, “The borrower is servant to the lender.”
Kohls and JCPenney were both nice enough to send me $10 gift cards to their stores, so a couple of days ago we went hunting – er, shopping. Both stores had lots of clothes on clearance, plus some pretty good sales.
Hoodie Girl had money, so she could buy something that cost more than $10. Czarina had no money, and in fact was in debt to 3 different people. (NOTE: they both get the same allowance).
So obviously Hoodie Girl had more choices than Czarina.
We went to Kohl’s first, and they had great fun trying on clothes. Hoodie Girl ended up with a BEAUTIFUL new top. The original cost was $36, but it was on sale for 35% off, so with the coupon she spent around $13. That is more than she would normally spend on a top, but it is REALLY nice, and she got it for almost 2/3 off, so she was happy.
Czarina tried on things she couldn’t afford. There was one top that looked really, really good on her, and I was SOOOO tempted to loan her the extra money she would have needed. However, as I mentioned early she already is in debt to 3 people, and I am trying to teach her money management skills, so I just couldn’t.
We next went to JCPenney’s to see what we could find for Czarina. Both girls tried on lots of clothes, including some discounted prom dresses that were so low cut that there is no way Cornbread Muffin, the modesty police, would have let them out of the house wearing them.
Czarina was eventually able to find a nice top for $8.99. However, when we got to the checkout, we found out that she had to spend at least $10 to use the coupon. What can you find at JCPenney that costs a dollar? The sales clerk suggested the canvas shopping bags they had displayed at the counter. So Czarina got a top, and a canvas shopping bag.
So we had a fun afternoon of shopping, they each got something new, and it didn’t cost ME a penny!
Kohls and JCPenney were both nice enough to send me $10 gift cards to their stores, so a couple of days ago we went hunting – er, shopping. Both stores had lots of clothes on clearance, plus some pretty good sales.
Hoodie Girl had money, so she could buy something that cost more than $10. Czarina had no money, and in fact was in debt to 3 different people. (NOTE: they both get the same allowance).
So obviously Hoodie Girl had more choices than Czarina.
We went to Kohl’s first, and they had great fun trying on clothes. Hoodie Girl ended up with a BEAUTIFUL new top. The original cost was $36, but it was on sale for 35% off, so with the coupon she spent around $13. That is more than she would normally spend on a top, but it is REALLY nice, and she got it for almost 2/3 off, so she was happy.
Czarina tried on things she couldn’t afford. There was one top that looked really, really good on her, and I was SOOOO tempted to loan her the extra money she would have needed. However, as I mentioned early she already is in debt to 3 people, and I am trying to teach her money management skills, so I just couldn’t.
We next went to JCPenney’s to see what we could find for Czarina. Both girls tried on lots of clothes, including some discounted prom dresses that were so low cut that there is no way Cornbread Muffin, the modesty police, would have let them out of the house wearing them.
Czarina was eventually able to find a nice top for $8.99. However, when we got to the checkout, we found out that she had to spend at least $10 to use the coupon. What can you find at JCPenney that costs a dollar? The sales clerk suggested the canvas shopping bags they had displayed at the counter. So Czarina got a top, and a canvas shopping bag.
So we had a fun afternoon of shopping, they each got something new, and it didn’t cost ME a penny!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Family Matters
One of my favorite cousins lives 90 minutes away. We have lots in common (including we both homeschool), we always enjoy being together, but being the busy creatures we are, we will go years without seeing each other.
This week her mother (my aunt) and sister (my other favorite cousin) are visiting from Wisconsin. I wanted to go see them, and I wanted to take Czarina and Hoodie Girl with me.
They were not too sure, so I mentioned that my cousin has 3 teenage boys.
“Are they cute?” they wanted to know.
Then I threw in the pièce de résistance. “If you stay home, you will have schoolwork to do. If you come with me, you will not have schoolwork today.”
C. has 5 kids; 2 girls ages 19 and 10, and 3 boys ages 13, 13 (twins), and 16.
P. has 4 kids, but two are adults, so she brought her 10 year old twin daughters.
And then there was Aunt K., who is my mom’s sister. So there were 13 of us all together.
I had a great time, being among kindred spirits. My girls hung out with the boys, playing Rock Band and Wii, and having lunch together. At one point the 19 year old was installing Rosetta Stone Spanish on the computer, and then showing her 16 year old brother how it works, and how to set up a schedule to complete it within a school year. Before we left, my girls said several times, “Now you have to come visit us!”
We got in the van to come home, and Czarina said, “They are so nice. NOBODY is that nice!”
They are. C’s boys are wonderful young men. And my girls have three more friends for Facebook.
This week her mother (my aunt) and sister (my other favorite cousin) are visiting from Wisconsin. I wanted to go see them, and I wanted to take Czarina and Hoodie Girl with me.
They were not too sure, so I mentioned that my cousin has 3 teenage boys.
“Are they cute?” they wanted to know.
Then I threw in the pièce de résistance. “If you stay home, you will have schoolwork to do. If you come with me, you will not have schoolwork today.”
C. has 5 kids; 2 girls ages 19 and 10, and 3 boys ages 13, 13 (twins), and 16.
P. has 4 kids, but two are adults, so she brought her 10 year old twin daughters.
And then there was Aunt K., who is my mom’s sister. So there were 13 of us all together.
I had a great time, being among kindred spirits. My girls hung out with the boys, playing Rock Band and Wii, and having lunch together. At one point the 19 year old was installing Rosetta Stone Spanish on the computer, and then showing her 16 year old brother how it works, and how to set up a schedule to complete it within a school year. Before we left, my girls said several times, “Now you have to come visit us!”
We got in the van to come home, and Czarina said, “They are so nice. NOBODY is that nice!”
They are. C’s boys are wonderful young men. And my girls have three more friends for Facebook.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May is always really busy for us. Last week we had two major events!
Monday we had our last day of our homeschool co-op. The middle schoolers were having a little party afterwards, but we could not stay, as Czarina had a dress rehearsal at 5:30. We got home about 4, ate an early dinner, Czarina got dressed in her costume and she and I left at 5. Dress rehearsal went until after 9. Lots of things went wrong. I've learned from when Hoodie Girl used to be in the choir that a bad dress rehearsal is usually followed by a great performance.
Czarina was a flag girl who danced in with the American flag. Then all 6 girls danced onstage with the flags.
Czarina singing with the ensemble.
Czarina had a long speech about coming to America, seeing Ellis Island, and finally being free. She did great!
Tuesday night was the big performance. Czarina was really nervous, but she did great.
On Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (formerly known as Fatso) graduated from high school! They were two of 9 students from our homeschool group that participated in the ceremony. Because we had only 9 students, we could devote time to each student's life.
Friday morning we all (well, except Prince Charming) slept in and then had a lazy day -- we needed it!
This week we have an orthodontist appointment, 2 dermatologist appointments (Cornbread Muffin and Hoodie Girl have been part of a 12 week study, and tomorrow they get paid!), a middle-school movie get together, Teen Library Council meeting, a choir party, another graduation (for Cornbread Muffin's friend), and a planning meeting for next year.
And hopefully, a job offer for Prince Charming. He had an interview last Wednesday, and he really wants this job. Looking at our checking account, I can see -- he NEEDS to get this job!
Monday we had our last day of our homeschool co-op. The middle schoolers were having a little party afterwards, but we could not stay, as Czarina had a dress rehearsal at 5:30. We got home about 4, ate an early dinner, Czarina got dressed in her costume and she and I left at 5. Dress rehearsal went until after 9. Lots of things went wrong. I've learned from when Hoodie Girl used to be in the choir that a bad dress rehearsal is usually followed by a great performance.
Czarina was a flag girl who danced in with the American flag. Then all 6 girls danced onstage with the flags.
Czarina singing with the ensemble.
Czarina had a long speech about coming to America, seeing Ellis Island, and finally being free. She did great!
Tuesday night was the big performance. Czarina was really nervous, but she did great.
On Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (formerly known as Fatso) graduated from high school! They were two of 9 students from our homeschool group that participated in the ceremony. Because we had only 9 students, we could devote time to each student's life.
Friday morning we all (well, except Prince Charming) slept in and then had a lazy day -- we needed it!
This week we have an orthodontist appointment, 2 dermatologist appointments (Cornbread Muffin and Hoodie Girl have been part of a 12 week study, and tomorrow they get paid!), a middle-school movie get together, Teen Library Council meeting, a choir party, another graduation (for Cornbread Muffin's friend), and a planning meeting for next year.
And hopefully, a job offer for Prince Charming. He had an interview last Wednesday, and he really wants this job. Looking at our checking account, I can see -- he NEEDS to get this job!
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Telephone Game
Remember the game “Telephone”? One person whispers a sentence to another, who whispers what he thought he heard to another, and so on down the line, until you get to the last person and everyone laughs at how much the message has changed.
I found out last night that there is a rumor going around our Homeschool co-op that Fatso has received a full ride scholarship to Yale. I had to chuckle because Fatso hasn’t applied to Yale. Fatso hasn’t applied anywhere yet, because paperwork is not my strong point and I need to finish getting his transcript together.
Space Cadet & Fatso have both received mail from all the Ivy League Universities, as well as lots of other colleges, starting when they first took the PSAT several years ago. The mail increases every time they take another test. Fatso has especially received a lot of mail from Stanford. Space Cadet received an application from either Harvard or Yale, I can’t remember which. She also received a scholarship for Trevecca Nazarene University for a few thousand dollars (can’t remember, doesn’t matter because at this point she is unable to be a full time student).
Anyway, somehow all of this translated into someone thinking Fatso has been accepted into many different colleges, with a full ride scholarship to Yale. As if Fatso would even consider going to a liberal university like Yale.
He hasn’t applied yet, but with Fatso’s GPA and test scores we don’t anticipate him having any difficulty getting accepted by Patrick Henry College in Virginia, where he plans to major in political science and hopes to eventually go on to law school. He is a finalist in The Home Depot Fund Scholarship, and we expect to hear soon if he is a winner.
I found out last night that there is a rumor going around our Homeschool co-op that Fatso has received a full ride scholarship to Yale. I had to chuckle because Fatso hasn’t applied to Yale. Fatso hasn’t applied anywhere yet, because paperwork is not my strong point and I need to finish getting his transcript together.
Space Cadet & Fatso have both received mail from all the Ivy League Universities, as well as lots of other colleges, starting when they first took the PSAT several years ago. The mail increases every time they take another test. Fatso has especially received a lot of mail from Stanford. Space Cadet received an application from either Harvard or Yale, I can’t remember which. She also received a scholarship for Trevecca Nazarene University for a few thousand dollars (can’t remember, doesn’t matter because at this point she is unable to be a full time student).
Anyway, somehow all of this translated into someone thinking Fatso has been accepted into many different colleges, with a full ride scholarship to Yale. As if Fatso would even consider going to a liberal university like Yale.
He hasn’t applied yet, but with Fatso’s GPA and test scores we don’t anticipate him having any difficulty getting accepted by Patrick Henry College in Virginia, where he plans to major in political science and hopes to eventually go on to law school. He is a finalist in The Home Depot Fund Scholarship, and we expect to hear soon if he is a winner.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Epiphany
May is usually a busy month for us, with end-of-school-year events and all. The week of May 18th will be especially busy for us this year. On Monday, we have our last day of our Homeschool co-op. Monday evening is dress rehearsal for the Joyful Praise Choir, which Czarina is a part of. In addition to singing with the choir, she will be dancing, carrying the American Flag, and giving a rather long speech about being an immigrant. OH – yesterday at rehearsal, the choir went through almost the entire musical. Some of the students still were using their scripts. Czarina’s part is near the end, and after she gave her speech – without her script – everyone in the choir applauded. This was almost two hours into the rehearsal, and they had not applauded anyone else.
Then on Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (which is what Fatso now wants to be called) are graduating with seven other students from our co-op. After graduation is a group graduation party.
We have a plan for Cornbread Muffin. He plans to major in political science (surprise, surprise) at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. The first year or two he will be living at home and doing distance learning. (Way cheaper, he will still need regular orthodontist visits for awhile, and he doesn’t have to leave his cat.) Then he wants to go to law school, become a lawyer, and bring down Planned Parenthood for multiple instances of covering up statutory rape and botched abortions. In his spare time he will be helping the downtrodden.
We do NOT have a plan for Space Cadet, my beautiful girl who started reading when she was two, scores unbelievably high on standardized tests (as does her brother) yet is graduating from high school at the age of 20. Poor Space Cadet, she has a number of health issues. Also she is very frustrated with the effect of Asperger’s Syndrome on her life, and feeling like she is just not growing up fast enough. (I have heard that people with Asperger’s Syndrome are developmentally about 2/3 of their chronological age. That puts Space Cadet at around her younger sisters’ ages.)
People have asked what the plan for her is. I’ve been replying that right now, there is no plan. She is going through a medication change, she has been sick a lot, and we don’t know if her headaches are stress related, side effects, or what. We recently had her evaluated by a neuropsych so that she can remain eligible for our insurance although she will not be a full time student. (When we have insurance, that is. Prince Charming has a job interview on Monday!) She is interested in college, but she would not be able to handle it right now, and definitely not full time.
This morning I have an epiphany. We don’t have a plan for Space Cadet. BUT THERE IS A PLAN! God has a plan! He’s had a plan since before she was even born! A plan to prosper her, and give her a hope and a future! (See Jeremiah 29:11) There IS a plan, we just don’t know what it is yet! That gives her, and I, hope.
Then on Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (which is what Fatso now wants to be called) are graduating with seven other students from our co-op. After graduation is a group graduation party.
We have a plan for Cornbread Muffin. He plans to major in political science (surprise, surprise) at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. The first year or two he will be living at home and doing distance learning. (Way cheaper, he will still need regular orthodontist visits for awhile, and he doesn’t have to leave his cat.) Then he wants to go to law school, become a lawyer, and bring down Planned Parenthood for multiple instances of covering up statutory rape and botched abortions. In his spare time he will be helping the downtrodden.
We do NOT have a plan for Space Cadet, my beautiful girl who started reading when she was two, scores unbelievably high on standardized tests (as does her brother) yet is graduating from high school at the age of 20. Poor Space Cadet, she has a number of health issues. Also she is very frustrated with the effect of Asperger’s Syndrome on her life, and feeling like she is just not growing up fast enough. (I have heard that people with Asperger’s Syndrome are developmentally about 2/3 of their chronological age. That puts Space Cadet at around her younger sisters’ ages.)
People have asked what the plan for her is. I’ve been replying that right now, there is no plan. She is going through a medication change, she has been sick a lot, and we don’t know if her headaches are stress related, side effects, or what. We recently had her evaluated by a neuropsych so that she can remain eligible for our insurance although she will not be a full time student. (When we have insurance, that is. Prince Charming has a job interview on Monday!) She is interested in college, but she would not be able to handle it right now, and definitely not full time.
This morning I have an epiphany. We don’t have a plan for Space Cadet. BUT THERE IS A PLAN! God has a plan! He’s had a plan since before she was even born! A plan to prosper her, and give her a hope and a future! (See Jeremiah 29:11) There IS a plan, we just don’t know what it is yet! That gives her, and I, hope.
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